“Well, it shouldn’t take us very long to go over the ground,” Bill mused as he glanced both ways. “There can’t be more than a mile either side of where we are to this end of the island and if we don’t find it at this end we’re——” “Out of the game,” Gordon finished for him. They walked slowly back and, as it was nearly five o’clock when they reached the bowl, they at once set about preparing supper. “You must have thought we were going to stay here a long time,” Bill said as he began taking their cooking utensils from the plane. “Well, I thought I might as well get plenty while I was at it,” Rogers told him. “A man after my own heart,” Gordon declared slapping him on the back. “Feed him and you’ve a friend for life,” Bill laughed. There was plenty of dry bits of wood lying about and in a very few minutes Gordon had a fire going between two rocks just over the edge of the bowl. “What’s the bill of fare?” he asked. “Sirloin steak two inches thick,” Rogers told him. “My, but I think you’re a very nice man,” Gordon chuckled. “I told you,” Bill chimed in. “Say, fellows, I’ve been thinking,” Gordon suddenly said as they were sitting around the fire a couple of hours later. “Impossible,” Bill declared. “Why is it impossible?” Gordon demanded. “Well, the act of thinking implies the possession of something with which to do the thinking and——” “Oh, you mean brains,” Gordon interrupted. “I believe that’s what one thinks with,” Bill told him. “Well, I’ve got ’em and as I was about to say, when I was so rudely interrupted, I’ve been thinking——” “You said that before,” Bill again broke in. “I’ve been thinking about that noise we heard last night.” “Well, what about it?” Bill demanded as he paused. “I’ve got to know what it was.” “Well, I sure hope you find out.” “I’m not going back home till I do,” Gordon assured him. “I’m with you there,” Rogers told him. “As soon as we find the platinum we’ll go back and investigate.” “I don’t believe in spooks but if there are any such animals, believe me, they live on that island,” Bill declared. “I wonder how far away we are from anyone here,” Gordon said a few minutes later. “I don’t suppose there’s a soul within twenty miles of us,” Rogers told him. “You getting scared?” Bill laughed. “Scared nothing,” Gordon snapped. “I was just curious, that’s all.” “That’s what killed a cat,” Bill told him. It was getting dark by this time and Rogers suggested that they turn in and get up early, reminding them that it would be high tide about nine o’clock and that if they were to do any searching in the forenoon they would have to get an early start. So half an hour later they were all asleep in the pup tents. Gordon had fallen asleep more than half expecting to be awakened by that same weird cry that had disturbed him the night before. But there was no disturbance and it was light when Bill called him.